COUNTRY COLLECTABLES - BUSH VERSE by MCB

THE HIDDEN VALLEY SCHOOL

"Education for the Nation!

Our kids should have a school !"

We hid behind the shed

And listened to the fool.

Cousin Bob was oldest

And the rest of us agreed

'Ole Purdy was a hazard

Us kids didn't need

Self appointed spokesman

Of our community at large

He was fond of telling us

How we '..should be took in charge'.

"Wild hooligans !" he reckoned

We were Hidden Valley brats

So we chased his chooks, of course,

We set our dogs upon his cats!

I was turning five

My brother, he was seven

Our cousins, numbered three

The Furbers had eleven

"That's enough !" He ranted

.....for the government to send

A teacher to the Vale

And put our freedom to an end!

The meeting took a turn

And it didn't go our way

We snuck off down the river

Hoping Bob would save the day.

A mule train bought our lessons

We liked it fine that way

We chucked crackers at the Mueller

So he mostly stayed away

We read Donald Duck

And most knew Mickey Mouse

What else could we need?

That Purdy was a louse!

Bob, for once, was speechless

So the Furbers took the lead

"Let's wait and see what happens"

In the end, we all agreed

Purdy terror reigned

He donated his own shed

Adding to our strain

He supplied the teacher's bed

Ominus, it was

The crows all flew away

The catfish wouldn't bite

Our dogs howled all day

The teacher came and, Lordy,

Ole Bob was smitten fast

The rest of us stood staring

While Ole' Purdy pawed the grass

Dainty as a daisy

She was really rather nice

But she didn't last a week

'Twas the Furbers and their mice

Purdy packed his bags

He married her they say

We couldn't figger Bob

Guess he got too old to play

I write stories now

Sort've  like ole Donald Duck

Ole Bob's sworn off women

My brother drives a truck

The Furbers are still out there

Living wild and free

Someone burned the school,

But their secret's safe with me...

MCB